Primary Matters

Primary Matters July 1996

From Board Bulletin, Vol 5, No. 5. July 1996

K-6 projects in progress at the Board of Studies

Some Guiding Principles for the Primary Curriculum

The Board of Studies' guiding booklet for K-6 syllabus writers and committees is now available to schools upon request. This booklet, entitled Primary Guidelines, was developed by the Board to guide K-6 syllabus writers and Syllabus Advisory Committees. The booklet contains an important document entitled Some Guiding Principles for the Primary Curriculum. This document has three main parts. The first part describes the overarching purpose of the primary curriculum. The second part develops a common understanding of the nature of primary age learners. The final section outlines an agreed set of learning principles appropriate to primary schooling. Primary Guidelines should be of interest to teachers and parents in primary schools, as well as pre-school educators, in enabling them to identify common principles and understandings that inform the K-6 curriculum in New South Wales. If your school would like a copy of Primary Guidelines, contact our Publications Branch by fax on (02) 9956 5205.

Human Society and Its Environment

The Board has recently endorsed a HSIE K-6 Framework, which was developed by a working party of primary educators during May. This Framework will provide the structure for the final Human Society and Its Environment K-6 Syllabus. The working party was given two major tasks in developing the Framework:

The members of the working party were Stephanie Lasscock (teacher, Ermington Primary School), Barbara d'Arbon (teacher-librarian, St John Fisher Primary School), Odette Esber (teacher, Prouille Primary School), Bronwyn Cole (academic, University of Western Sydney), Mary Gray (Senior Curriculum Adviser, DSE), Rob Healy (Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc), Mary Ellen Betts (teacher, Lane Cove Primary School), Toni Stokes (teacher/academic, Early Childhood Faculty, University of Western Sydney), and Louise Bidenko (Senior Curriculum Officer, BOS). The working party was chaired by Phil Lambert (Inspector, Primary Education, BOS). The Framework has one process strand (Investigating, Participating and Communicating) and four conceptual strands (Change and Continuity, Cultures, Environments, and Social Systems and Structures). These four conceptual strands will replace the strands of People, Societies, Cultures and Environment, which appeared in the draft syllabus.

If you would like more information about the development of the final syllabus, contact Louise Bidenko (Senior Curriculum Officer, HSIE K-6) on (02) 9927 8245.

Syllabuses on CD-ROM

The Board is now producing syllabuses and draft syllabuses on CD-ROM for schools along with the usual print copy of the document, distributed free-of-charge to each teacher at the time of the release of a syllabus or draft syllabuses (or when a teacher is new to the profession). The K-6 documents soon to be available on CD-ROM are

English K-6 Review

The English K-6 Review Committee has now completed its round of focus group meetings conducted with a sample of primary teachers from schools across the state. These meetings have provided the committee with an opportunity to hear from teachers about their experiences in using the English K-6 Syllabus and Support Document. Focus group meetings have been held in Tamworth, Dubbo, Wagga, Bega, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Newcastle, Armidale, and Sydney (six meetings across the metropolitan area). In addition to providing the committee with invaluable information about the key issues surrounding English K-6, focus group meetings enable the participants to compare and contrast their views with the views held by teachers from other schools.

Outcomes

Syllabus outcomes are currently being developed in several key learning areas in line with recommendations of the Eltis Report and the Board's guiding document Syllabus Model Using Staged Outcomes (released to schools in April this year). These staged outcomes will describe what most children will be expected to know and be able to do at the end of each stage based on the Board's syllabus structure: Stage 1 (K-Year 2), Stage 2 (Year 3-Year 4) and Stage 3 (Year 5-Year 6). Outcomes for Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) will also be developed for syllabuses. The replacement of outcomes in 'levels' with staged outcomes was a key recommendation of the Eltis Report (Recommendation 2).

If you would like further information regarding these items or K-6 curriculum matters in general, contact Margaret Malone, Inspector, Primary Education, phone (02) 9927 8199 or fax (02) 9954 9218.